planning to replace my 1TB "spinning" hard disk drive


Frank,

I just got hold of a brand new uninitialised disk.

I deliberately left it uninitialised so I could test system image recovery on it.
1 Acronis True image could not restore a disk image to it. It could not see it as an available target disk; it could not see it at all.
2 Macrium reflect could see the uninitialised disk and did successfully restore a system image to it.
I don't have any Windows backup & restore system images so I could not test that.

I now believe that those tiny red down-arrows you illustrated all that time ago are indicators of a need to right-click & carry out some obligatory action. In my case it was right-click & initialise.
View attachment 37586

Now I've got to clear the disk out so I can do what I actually wanted with it.
Fortunately, I have MiniTool Partition Wizard & EaseUS Partition Master because Disk mgmt cannot delete its EFI & recovery partitions.

All the best,
Denis
Hi Denis
To get back to the Windows image recovery process that I intend to do even if I go for a 2.5" SATA EVO SSD:
Apparently WinPE (Windows recovery using USB thumb drive) has a (rigid) HDD convention:
Acer forum: "By the way, the external USB drive should be larger than the source hard drive. You can create/store only one Windows recovery image from a PC on one external drive if more images are stored on the same drive you have to change the computer name for each image created otherwise your image file won't be found by WinPE."

W8 forum Tutorial: You can only do a system image recovery to a HDD or SSD that is the same size or larger than the one(s) included in the system image when it was created.
Re-image your computer, restore options:
3) Not grayed out and unselected
Here you have the option to select format the whole disk and repartition or not. In this case the disk the image was taken from has a matching partition structure to the disk you are restoring the image to. By not selecting the format and repartition option your image will be restored and other partitions untouched such as valuable data partitions. I want to select "format the whole disk and repartition" if this option will show up (source and target drives don't have a matching partition structure, option may be grayed out)?

My source drive capacity is: 930.4 GB (824.48 GB free)
My mechanical target drive capacity is: 931.5 GB (empty, not yet formatted), the 1 TB SSD EVO capacity is also 931 GB (usable)

I think I am OK with all this, any comments?
Frank
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 22H2 build: 22621.1928
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer/Aspire5 515-54G-70AG
    CPU
    Intel i7-10510U CPU 1.8 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Intel Comet Lake-U PCH-LP Premium, firmware version 3.2
    Memory
    8 GB 1333.3 MHz Dual channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD + NVIDIA GeForce MX250
    Sound Card
    RealTek ALC255 chipset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Full HD TN 16"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 220 NITS
    Hard Drives
    SATA mechanical 1TB TOSHIBA HDWL110 X1UGPHELT 5600 rpm
    PSU
    Murata battery AP18C4k (31CP5/81/68) Li-Polymer Battery Pack, full capacity 46620 mWh 11.4V
    Case
    Polycarbonate with a metal panel lid
    Cooling
    1 fan
    Keyboard
    US
    Mouse
    Precision Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    15 mb/s
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    2022 Intel diplay driver: gfx_win_101.3413_101.2111.exe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home 23H2 build 22631.3296
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivobook K3502Z S15 15" OLED
    CPU
    Intel 12th Gen. i7 12700H, 14 cores, 2.3 GHz (24M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 6P+8E cores)
    Motherboard
    Alder Lake-H, 1700-4700 MHz clock rate
    Memory
    8GB LPDDR4 on board + 8GB LPDDR4 3200 MHz in Dual Channel.
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe supports up to 4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
    Sound Card
    Harman Kardon - DTS
    Monitor(s) Displays
    OLED 15.6inch 2.8K (2880 x 1620)
    Screen Resolution
    16:9 aspect ratio 0.2ms response time 120Hz refresh rate, 550nits
    Hard Drives
    512GB M.2 NVMe Gen4 PCIe 4.0 SSD, Micron_2450_MTFDKBA512TFK
    PSU
    90-Watt USB charger (Thunderbolt4)
    Case
    Metal lid, plastic case
    Cooling
    1 fan
    Mouse
    Precision Trackpad
    Keyboard
    With backlight
    Internet Speed
    ISP provides 15 mb/s WIFI LTE (4G), laptop WIFI 6 adapter.
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    BIOS American Megatrends International, LLC. K3502ZA.307, 08/09/2022. Network adapter: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 160 MHz
@FrankW

With all that free space on your hard drive, you can shrink your Windows partition down to something like 300GB.
THEN image or clone it. It's much easier that way.

If the hard drive is starting to fail, then shrinking it would not be a good idea.

You also have the option to just image or clone the entire disk.
A 1TB hard drive will fit on a 1TB SSD.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3296 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
A 1TB hard drive will fit on a 1TB SSD.
Thanks, that's what I was not sure of. Will keep shrinking windows volume down as a last resort because of "Uncorrectable Errors: 14" issue; it may be a bad sector that I never use. I don't see any difference between cloning and full disk recovery oher than that EaseUS free does not include cloning.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 22H2 build: 22621.1928
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer/Aspire5 515-54G-70AG
    CPU
    Intel i7-10510U CPU 1.8 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Intel Comet Lake-U PCH-LP Premium, firmware version 3.2
    Memory
    8 GB 1333.3 MHz Dual channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD + NVIDIA GeForce MX250
    Sound Card
    RealTek ALC255 chipset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Full HD TN 16"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 220 NITS
    Hard Drives
    SATA mechanical 1TB TOSHIBA HDWL110 X1UGPHELT 5600 rpm
    PSU
    Murata battery AP18C4k (31CP5/81/68) Li-Polymer Battery Pack, full capacity 46620 mWh 11.4V
    Case
    Polycarbonate with a metal panel lid
    Cooling
    1 fan
    Keyboard
    US
    Mouse
    Precision Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    15 mb/s
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    2022 Intel diplay driver: gfx_win_101.3413_101.2111.exe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home 23H2 build 22631.3296
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivobook K3502Z S15 15" OLED
    CPU
    Intel 12th Gen. i7 12700H, 14 cores, 2.3 GHz (24M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 6P+8E cores)
    Motherboard
    Alder Lake-H, 1700-4700 MHz clock rate
    Memory
    8GB LPDDR4 on board + 8GB LPDDR4 3200 MHz in Dual Channel.
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe supports up to 4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
    Sound Card
    Harman Kardon - DTS
    Monitor(s) Displays
    OLED 15.6inch 2.8K (2880 x 1620)
    Screen Resolution
    16:9 aspect ratio 0.2ms response time 120Hz refresh rate, 550nits
    Hard Drives
    512GB M.2 NVMe Gen4 PCIe 4.0 SSD, Micron_2450_MTFDKBA512TFK
    PSU
    90-Watt USB charger (Thunderbolt4)
    Case
    Metal lid, plastic case
    Cooling
    1 fan
    Mouse
    Precision Trackpad
    Keyboard
    With backlight
    Internet Speed
    ISP provides 15 mb/s WIFI LTE (4G), laptop WIFI 6 adapter.
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    BIOS American Megatrends International, LLC. K3502ZA.307, 08/09/2022. Network adapter: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 160 MHz
Thanks, that's what I was not sure of. Will keep shrinking windows volume down as a last resort because of "Uncorrectable Errors: 14" issue; it may be a bad sector that I never use. I don't see any difference between cloning and full disk recovery oher than that EaseUS free does not include cloning.



One of the reasons I use Macrium Reflect (free or paid), is that it has a tool called: "Fix Windows boot problems", on it's bootable rescue media.. The rescue media also lets you access backups outside of Windows.

You can just make an image of the entire hard drive, then put the SSD in the comp, and use the rescue media to restore your disk image... to the SSD. I always do it that way.

Then once it's finished, if it doesn't boot, you can use the "Fix Windows boot problems" tool on the rescue media.

And you'll still have the hard drive... if you still can't get things working, you can just put the hard drive back in.




To "clone" a drive, you need to be able to hook both drives up at the same time.

If you "image" a drive, you only need to hook drive one up at a time.
Assuming you have someplace to store the image. You can't store the image on the same drive you're... imaging.
Usually people use an external drive or another internal drive, for storing the image.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3296 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
IMO your method is slower with an older (internal) mechanical HDD as it involves:
  • Running Windows 11 OS with Macrium, or other program on the internal HDD, that requires experience/correct settings vs. mini WinPE that runs on a USB thumb drive.
  • Extra transfer of 100s GB of data from your internal HDD and cache through a 2nd USB interface/cables to the target drive.
The 256GB image of the old HDD had been made to an external usb3 HDD. However I restored it that would have been the slowest link in the chain and therefore the limiting factor. Any caching Windows may have done when reading the image from the external HDD would have been to RAM.

No special experience is needed to run Macrium Reflect from its recovery boot usb. It's the same software and the UI is identical whether running in Windows or WinPE/WinRE.
  • Possible ambiguity with the C: or D: naming when installing and booting the new internal drive?
No ambiguity there. Macrium just restores the partitions, it doesn't assign them any drive letters. When booting from the restored drive they will all have their correct drive letters assigned to them by the OS that will be running.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Frank,

what are the cons and pros restoring a blank drive internally
You mean fit the blank initialized drive first, boot with the recovery USB thumb drive and restore from the external drive with the backup?

There isn't really a con to this.
I prefer to restore to a new drive while it's external merely so that I know everything is ready to go before I go through the hassle of fitting it [18 screws & all].


It should have the same os letter that it had when you made the image. Not every windows installation has os letter C.
Frank, do note that SIW2 is correct. Some configurations can end up with Windows allocating a different drive letter for the OS drive.
The last time I saw that on one of my computers was in 2014-15.
I believe that SIW2's description of the relevant circumstances is also correct.
Possible ambiguity with the C: or D: naming when installing and booting the new internal drive?
No, you would not have to worry about that. The restored image dictates the drive letter [i.e. the drive letter that Windows allocated to the OS drive when the image was made will be allocated to the OS drive when you boot from it].


I am now in favor of a 2.5" SATA SSD like Bree just installed, if it stays cool.....
These are my SSD temperatures in my cramped ultra slim laptop that only has 1 fan [in the UK, house temperature about 20C, it's a lovely day].
temperatures.png
{25C, OS disk, internal M.2 SATA SSD. 27C, data disk, internal 2.5in SATA SSD.]


weird that Acer Support (Philippines) never mentioned this 2.5" SSD SATA as an option, maybe they are still testing it
Frank, you have great generosity of spirit. If they did not mention it then they misunderstood your question or didn't give a monkey's about you.


Apparently WinPE (Windows recovery using USB thumb drive) has a (rigid) HDD convention
I do not know if that can restore to an uninitialised disk - I think one of your earlier posts said you had initialised it anyway.
Since you also made a Macrium reflect disk image, you could use that if it was still uninitialised.


the external USB drive should be larger than the source hard drive
Their statement is poorly worded & invites misinterpretation.
- For the Windows own system image utility, the target disk for restoring the system image needs to be as big or bigger than the disk from which the image was made.
- For Macrium Reflect [& others], the target disk for restoring the system image needs to be as big or bigger than the amount of space that was used in the disk from which the image was made.
My statements are true whether the disk is connected by USB or internally; it makes no difference.
My source drive capacity is: 930.4 GB (824.48 GB free)
My mechanical target drive capacity is: 931.5 GB (empty, not yet formatted), the 1 TB SSD EVO capacity is also 931 GB (usable)
I think I am OK with all this, any comments?
Yes, you are okay. Even the Windows own system image can cope with a replacement drive that is the same size as the original disk.
Even if it gave you problems, Macrium would come to your rescue because your used space is a lot less than 930GB.
Once again, I am referring to Macrium because I think you said you'd already made a Macrium Reflect disk image as well. If not then I urge you to do so right now.


You can create/store only one Windows recovery image from a PC on one external drive if more images are stored on the same drive you have to change the computer name for each image created
Whilst I no longer use Windows own system imaging and do not want to encourage you to do so, that statement is utter rubbish.
There are lots of ways to manage multiple Windows system images on an external disk.
- What I used to do was make the image then create a folder with a name like 20200829 or 20200829-1 then move the whole of the image's folder [which has a name like WindowsImageBackup] into 20200829.
- Then, if I ever wanted to restore an image, I would copy the whole of the relevant WindowsImageBackup folder back to the root of the external disk [i.e. where it had originally been made].
- You can build up a whole library of old images that way - I keep the images from my current Version 21H2, the latest image from 21H1, ... and I would do that even if I was still using Windows' own imaging utility.
- What's important is always moving/copying the whole of the WindowsImageBackup folder not bits within it. If you ever alter any of its innards then you might as well assume that it is broken beyond repair.


Will keep shrinking windows volume down
Don't bother.


And another thing
By the way, the various comments about utilities for fixing boot problems are correct but incomplete.
- There are boot problem fixing tools on both the Macrium Reflect boot disk you could boot from to restore a Macrium Reflect image & the Windows installation disk you'd boot from to restore a Windows' own system image.
- You can use the boot problem fixing tools whether or not you intend to go on to restore an image. They are independent tools.
- I have seen Macrium users claim that their boot problem fixing tool is better than the Windows one.



I hope I've covered all your questions,
Best of luck,
Denis
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
It is also possible to choose the os letter during the installation process ( win7 and newer os ) . I have done it often.
I don't know a practical way to change it after the installation setup phase is complete.

1. apply the image to a partition.

2. load the system hive from the apllied image and put in your desired osletter into the mounted devices key with the volumevalue.

3. Boot into the applied image for the setup phase to do its thing.

Thats all folks. I have a liitle script for it, but you can do it manually
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
I am currently booted into C and just about to apply an image to J

apply-image-tes1t.jpg

I am lazy so will whack the image onto J with dism++. you can use something else

apply-image-test-2.jpg
After applying the image with dism or similar, get the volume value of the partition you have just applied the image to.

It was applied to J , so the next thing is to get the volumevalue of j which you can find in your current mounted devices key

apply-image-test-6.jpg


then use regedit (or a 3rd party registry editor ) to load the system hive from the image you have just applied.

The image was just applied to J, so we load J:\windows\system32\config\System hive

apply-image-test-7.jpg
and give it any name
I named it loaded-system

apply-image-test-8.jpg


Create a New Key in loaded-system called MountedDevices and paste the copied value


apply-image-test-9.jpg



apply-image-test-11.jpg


apply-image-test-12.jpg

Left like that the os will call itself J when booted, so I have changed it to X for a bit of fun


apply-image-test-13.jpg

Unload the hive

apply-image-test-14.jpg

Then boot into the applied image for the setup phase.

And like magic:

osletter-X.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
for the manual gui method:

You could instead use windows regedit, export the current mounteddevices key , then open the reg file in notepad, change it to loaded-system, delete all the values except the one you want and then merge it.

apply-image-test-15.jpg

easier to use another reg editor. Download Products | www.torchsoft.com

I think Dalchina knows of a different one . Cant remember what it is called, might not even have been Dalchina. I am quite forgetful.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
The number of different directions this thread has taken:

capture3a.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
An opportunity for inquiring minds to learn something.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
An opportunity for inquiring minds to learn something.
But surely they'd be of much more benefit in a thread of their own rather than in this one.

All the best,
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Thanks @Try3 for doing that test. I've always thought that was how Macrium worked but never bought a new drive since I've been using it. Now we know for sure.
SSDs and Macrium rock!!!!!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I don't get it. After all these years, some folks still don't get the simple task of CLONING an old drive to a new drive.
They want to make something mystical and magical out of the process. Forgetaboutit!

It's actually SO darned Simple! WELL, for me anyway. I just connect the old drive and the new drive to my main PC and run Ghost and do a CLONE from the old drive to the new drive. And in a few minutes, the job is done. Then put the new drive into it's new Home PC.

These days, NOT replacing a spinner with an SSD drive is just plain Foolish! Spinners are slow, noisy, generate a LOT of heat, and they draw a lot of power. For the last couple of years, I've been systematically replacing all my spinners with SSD's. I just use my old spinners for backups, experimentation and door stops.
Cheers Mates!
TM :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-11/Pro/64, Optimum 11 V3, 23H2 22631.3085
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Made w/Gigabyte mobo/DX-10
    CPU
    AMD FX 6350 Six Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte, DX-10, GA-78LMT-USB3
    Memory
    Crucial, 16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard, ATI Radeon HD 3000; NVIDEA GeForce 210, 1GB DDR3 Ram.
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Crucial SSD 500GB, SanDisk 126GB SSD, Toshiba 1TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA 500 W.
    Case
    Pac Man, Mid Tower
    Cooling
    AMD/OEM
    Keyboard
    101 key, Backlit/ Mechanical Switches/
    Mouse
    Logitech USB Wireless M310
    Internet Speed
    Hughes Net speed varies with the weather
    Browser
    Firefox 64x
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Super Anti Spyware
    Other Info
    Given to me as DEAD, and irreparable.
    Rebuilt with Gigabyte mobo, AMD cpu, 16GB ram and 500GB Crucial SSD.
@NavyLCDR To get back to my original topic:
Finally got to replace my 1TB mechanical HDD with a new 1 TB Sata mechanical HDD!.
Before that I backed up my old HDD after the 27th Oct. W11 22H2 updates with W7 "Create an Image file" and EaseUS Todo "Full Disk Backup" to an external (mechanical) HDD. I Initialized the new drive but not formatted it. after replacement of the drive I booted with USB Windows RE USB flash drive (and had also my external Back-up drive connected), followed the W8 instructions by Brink, the latest Windows image file was immediately found on my USB drive, no questions or ambiguities about drivers or partitions, took 40 minutes to restore and everything works like before (including Outlook Desktop Mapi). I had the EaseUS backup ready in case of problems with the Windows image restore job :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 22H2 build: 22621.1928
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer/Aspire5 515-54G-70AG
    CPU
    Intel i7-10510U CPU 1.8 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Intel Comet Lake-U PCH-LP Premium, firmware version 3.2
    Memory
    8 GB 1333.3 MHz Dual channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD + NVIDIA GeForce MX250
    Sound Card
    RealTek ALC255 chipset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Full HD TN 16"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 220 NITS
    Hard Drives
    SATA mechanical 1TB TOSHIBA HDWL110 X1UGPHELT 5600 rpm
    PSU
    Murata battery AP18C4k (31CP5/81/68) Li-Polymer Battery Pack, full capacity 46620 mWh 11.4V
    Case
    Polycarbonate with a metal panel lid
    Cooling
    1 fan
    Keyboard
    US
    Mouse
    Precision Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    15 mb/s
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    2022 Intel diplay driver: gfx_win_101.3413_101.2111.exe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home 23H2 build 22631.3296
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivobook K3502Z S15 15" OLED
    CPU
    Intel 12th Gen. i7 12700H, 14 cores, 2.3 GHz (24M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 6P+8E cores)
    Motherboard
    Alder Lake-H, 1700-4700 MHz clock rate
    Memory
    8GB LPDDR4 on board + 8GB LPDDR4 3200 MHz in Dual Channel.
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe supports up to 4096 x 2304 @ 120Hz
    Sound Card
    Harman Kardon - DTS
    Monitor(s) Displays
    OLED 15.6inch 2.8K (2880 x 1620)
    Screen Resolution
    16:9 aspect ratio 0.2ms response time 120Hz refresh rate, 550nits
    Hard Drives
    512GB M.2 NVMe Gen4 PCIe 4.0 SSD, Micron_2450_MTFDKBA512TFK
    PSU
    90-Watt USB charger (Thunderbolt4)
    Case
    Metal lid, plastic case
    Cooling
    1 fan
    Mouse
    Precision Trackpad
    Keyboard
    With backlight
    Internet Speed
    ISP provides 15 mb/s WIFI LTE (4G), laptop WIFI 6 adapter.
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    BIOS American Megatrends International, LLC. K3502ZA.307, 08/09/2022. Network adapter: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 160 MHz
Frank,

I just got hold of a brand new uninitialised disk.

I deliberately left it uninitialised so I could test system image recovery on it.
1 Acronis True image could not restore a disk image to it. It could not see it as an available target disk; it could not see it at all.
2 Macrium reflect could see the uninitialised disk and did successfully restore a system image to it.
I don't have any Windows backup & restore system images so I could not test that.

I now believe that those tiny red down-arrows you illustrated all that time ago are indicators of a need to right-click & carry out some obligatory action. In my case it was right-click & initialise.
View attachment 37586

Now I've got to clear the disk out so I can do what I actually wanted with it.
Fortunately, I have MiniTool Partition Wizard & EaseUS Partition Master because Disk mgmt cannot delete its EFI & recovery partitions.

All the best,
Denis
i just use diskpart from an admin command prompt. Takea less than 2 minutes tops.

Diskpart
Select disk n (n is number of drive)
Clean
Exit

Then initialise it however I want from disk management.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
i just use diskpart from an admin command prompt
Yes.

I was addressing a long chain of comments that focussed on restoring Macrium images so I wanted to tie that down by doing an experiment.
- Macrium Reflect can restore an image to an initialised disk.
- Acronis True Image cannot restore an image to an unitialised disk.

Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Hi there

@FrankW

Just adding to the conversation here -- because a 1TB makes a very handy size offline backup media etc.

You can buy for about 20-25 EUR a USB 3 powered (supplied external power supply) sata / SATA III connector which will power correctly an external SSD (or spinner). I've tested one of these on a laptop connected via a USB 3 port with a large 16 TB Enterprise grade spinner -- worked perfectly.

So no need to bin the disk.

Amazon UK -- price includes VAT which a lot can get back.


cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Just adding to the conversation here -- because a 1TB makes a very handy size offline backup media etc.

You can buy for about 20-25 EUR a USB 3 powered (supplied external power supply) sata / SATA III connector which will power correctly an external SSD (or spinner).
@FrankW won't need one with an external power supply, not if were talking about his Acer Aspire 5 in his specs. I've just done exactly the same, replacing the 1TB HDD with an SSD, for my Acer Aspire 3 (System One). A 2.5" HDD can be powered through the usb cable, so my liberated 1TB HDD now sits in one of these:

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
@FrankW won't need one with an external power supply, not if were talking about his Acer Aspire 5 in his specs. I've just done exactly the same, replacing the 1TB HDD with an SSD, for my Acer Aspire 3 (System One). A 2.5" HDD can be powered through the usb cable, so my liberated 1TB HDD now sits in one of these:

Thats fine for 2.5 inch disks -- however I was thinking for larger size (physically) 3.5 inch classical spinners. I find the device I have works fine for a spare 16 TB Toshiba enterprise HDD (got from an office I.T hardware "chuckout") . Enterprise quality disks are usually pretty rugged - and I got it for "If you can get it out of the server -- please take it". - An old School Engineer like me isn't going to have any problem with that type of challenge. !!!!

I use similar to you for a 1TB ssd where I have a load of VM's on it plus a bootable physical Windows system

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7

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